1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to component incorporation and a liquid filling device used in assembly of a liquid filled vibration-isolating mount mainly used to support an engine for an automobile for the purpose of vibration isolation.
2. Description of Related Art
As illustrated in FIG. 15, a liquid filled vibration isolating mount includes a cylindrical body fitting 2, a rubber elastomer 3 as a vibration isolating substrate and a diaphragm which assumes a part of chamber wall. A liquid filled body interior is partitioned into, for example, upper and lower liquid chambers 6a, 6b, by a partition portion 5. Both liquid chambers 6a, 6b are connected by an orifice 7 on the partition portion 5, and vibration is damped and absorbed by liquid flow resistance brought about by the orifice 7 and vibration isolating effects of the rubber elastomer 3. Such type of liquid filled vibration isolating mount has been known, and used as a mount supporting an automobile engine and the like, so as not to transmit vibration produced thereby to a vehicle body.
Vulcanization is used for adhering the rubber elastomer 3 to an opening portion on one end of the cylindrical body fitting 2. Similarly, the liquid filled vibration isolating mount is also assembled by vulcanization, adhering an attachment fitting 8 to the rubber elastomer 3, subsequently forming a body component 1 wherein there is a space for containing the liquid, incorporating the components such as partition portion 5 and diaphragm 4 and the like into the body component 1, and simultaneously containing the liquid inside the body component 1.
A relatively large-sized liquid bath has heretofore been used to incorporate the components and contain the liquid when assembling the vibration isolating mount. More than one process, such as a setting process for holding the body component in the liquid, a process incorporating the components, such as a partition portion and diaphragm into the body component, a caulking process for fixing the assembled components, and a process for taking out the assembled mount from the liquid bath, have been set up, whereby the component assembling operation is to be carried out in the liquid.
However, in the case of component incorporation and liquid containing methods for a conventional vibration isolating mount, since a large liquid bath and further complicated large-scaled transportation means are required, installation space requirements are increased and disposition and maintenance/control against setup changing operations and problems associated therewith are also troublesome. Furthermore, foreign substances, such as casting sands and rubber wastes are prone to be brought into the liquid bath, causing improper incorporation, such as mixture of air bubbles therewith and the like. Additionally, there are problems such as troublesome washing of an outer circumferential portion of the mount products after assembly, and the like.
Therefore, an applicant of this invention has suggested a component incorporation and liquid filling device of a type using a relatively small liquid bath, similar to JP-A-11-230235, to diminish the aforementioned conventional problems.
In reference to this suggested type of liquid filling device, the body component is faced upwards and held under a nearly perpendicular condition, and the liquid bath, capable of vertical movement, is arranged upwards thereof. An opening portion at a part of the bottom portion of the liquid bath is fitted on an outer circumference of the body component when the liquid bath is lowered, and is assembled so as to hold a sealing condition therewith. The liquid is supplied over the bottom portion having the opening of the liquid bath, and the liquid flows from the opening of the body component into the inside spacing of the body component. When a required amount of the liquid is accumulated and stored above the bottom portion, the component incorporation device comprised of a multi-axis multi-jointed robot and the like is operated under this condition to fit and assemble the components, such as partition portion and diaphragm, inside the body component and in the opening portion while immersing in the accumulated liquid and deaerating. The liquid is contained and sealed, and the accumulated liquid in the liquid bath is then drained from the bottom portion thereon, thus releasing the liquid bath from the body component.
It is noted, with regards to the component assembly, a seal member, such as a commercially available oil seal, is fitted to the opening portion disposed at the bottom portion of the liquid bath in order to secure the sealing condition fitted and assembled to the body component. As shown in FIG. 16, with regard to the seal member, a seal body 152 made of the rubber elastomer is secured to an inner circumference of an annular outer circumferential body 151 made of a rigid material by vulcanization adhering means or press-fit means and the like.
The seal member 150 is required to be replaced with the corresponding seal member attendant on modification of shape and the like of the body component when changing the particular vibration isolating mount setup to be assembled. Accordingly, the seal member 150 is fitted detachably to the bottom portion 121 of the liquid bath 120 through a screwing means of the outer circumferential body 151. In particular, in order to best minimize the seal material 154 for sealing the screwed portion to be retained or come into contact with the liquid, the seal member 150 is screwed and fitted from the underside to the bottom portion 121 of the liquid bath 120. Screwing holes 157 are also provided at several places on the underside of the outer circumferential body 151 for the screwing operations.
However, in case of the conventional seal member 150, it is necessary to carry out screwing operation for detachment from the bottom portion of the liquid bath with one""s head faced upwards in a narrow space below the liquid bath, so that operability is extremely difficult even if a screwing jig is used, resulting in time-consuming replacement and also longer downtime for setup operation.
This invention is made to solve the problems described above related to the component incorporation and liquid filling device which uses the liquid bath, by allowing the seal member fitted to the opening portion at the bottom portion of the liquid bath to be screwed from the upper surface side.
This invention is a component incorporation and liquid filling device of the liquid filled vibration isolating mount, comprising a body set holding portion which supports and secures the body component of the vibration isolating mount, having an inside space and an opening on one end side, with the opening faced upwards in nearly perpendicular state. A liquid bath which is disposed above the body set holding portion so as to be vertically movable includes an opening portion provided on the bottom portion to engage with an outer circumference of the body component in a state of seal through a descent action, and is capable of storing liquid over the bottom portion under the condition incorporated into the body component by means of engagement of the opening portion. A liquid supplying/discharging means which supplies and discharges the liquid to and from the top of the bottom portion having the opening portion corresponding with assembling action of the liquid bath to the body component is also provided. A component incorporation device is provided, which serves to assemble the components such as partition portion, diaphragm, and the like, to the body component in the liquid. In accordance with the invention, an annular seal member elastically fitted on the body component is fitted to the opening portion on the bottom of the liquid bath by means of the screwing means from the lower surface side against the bottom portion, the seal member being provided so as to be able to screw in from the upper surface side.
According to the component incorporation and liquid filling device, the body component of the vibration isolating mount is held by the body set means with the opening faced upwards in a nearly perpendicular state, the liquid bath disposed above the body set holding portion is moved downwardly, and the opening portion provided on the bottom portion can be assembled in a sealed state by engaging through the seal member fitted thereto with the body component. Therefore, by supplying the liquid to the top of the liquid bath under this condition, the liquid flows from the opening of the body component which protrudes above the bottom portion into the inside space, allowing a predetermined amount of liquid to be stored on the top of the bottom portion. Through the operation of the component incorporation device under the liquid storing condition, the components, such as partition portion, diaphragm, and the like, can be fitted and assembled into the opening of the body component in the liquid, allowing the liquid to be contained.
When changing the setup of the vibration isolating mount to be assembled, the seat member fitted to the opening portion of the bottom portion in the liquid bath is replaced with the corresponding seal member according to shape change of the body component. However, even if the seal member is fitted by the screwing means from the lower surface side of the bottom portion, it is possible to perform its replacing operation easily because the screwing operation can be done from the upper surface side of the liquid bath.
Additionally, since the seal member is screwed and fitted from the lower surface side against the bottom portion of the liquid bath, the seal material at the screw portion can be held in the same manner as the conventional one, requiring less area in contact with the liquid.
The seal member is formed by the seal body made of the rubber elastomer fitted to the annular inner circumference made of the rigid material, and fitted to the inner circumference of the opening portion, which is on the bottom portion of the outer circumferential body, by the screwing means. A notch for a screwing operation is provided on the upper surface of the outer circumferential body provided on the top of the bottom portion. Thereby, the seal member can easily be detached by the screwing operation from the upper surface side using the screwing jig, allowing a facilitated replacing operation.
It is preferable that the outer circumferential body of the seal member has a positioning inner flange, on which the upper end portion of the body component engaging with the seal body is abutted, on the inner circumference of the upper end portion protruding from the upper surface of the bottom portion, and that a notch groove for screwing operation in the crosswise direction with respect to an axial center is formed on the upper surface of the outer circumferential body including the inner flange. Thereby, the body component fitted to the inside thereof can be positioned, and the thus assembled condition of the body component with the liquid bath can always be kept constant, accordingly allowing the component assembling operation to be performed smoothly and stably using the component incorporation device.